Mary McAleese praises GAA President as she reveals her son was ...

The former Irish President from Rostrevor, Co Down, was speaking to Mr Burns on the Changing Times – The Allenwood Conversations podcast.

Mr Burns has been the principal of St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook over the past decade and is on a three-year break as he fulfils his role as GAA President.

Reflecting on her son Justin’s challenges growing up as a gay teenager and stating that he was “terrified a lot of the time”, Ms McAleese described Mr Burns' participation in Newry's inaugural Pride parade in 2012 as “one of my proudest moments” and that he had “changed lives that day”.

Ms McAleese said it was “a wonderful thing for me as the mother of a gay son who had been through Catholic schools but had been terrified a lot of the time and who, looking at a headmaster, a school principal in a school where the patron was the Archbishop, and the courage that took”.

Mr Burns explained how the decision to take part materialised and how it “sent out a very strong message”.

He said that a student at the time came forward, with marks on their face.

Mr Burns described how when he addressed the issue, the child said, “something very worrying”, “sure there’s nothing that can be done for me”.

He gave details on how a group of pupils came together to organise participation in the parade, and how they requested that they could wear their school uniform and if he would lead them as they walked.

“I said why not?” he said.

“We sent out a very strong message – it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, there’s a place for you in our school.”

Meanwhile, Mr Burns discussed his “complete obsession with the Orange Order” and how being involved in the GAA during his youth “kept many of us away from the IRA”.

During his campaign to become GAA President, Mr Burns emphasised his belief in the importance of embracing unionism and other cultures as part of this vision.

Mr Burns also discussed his upbringing in south Armagh and how he viewed his participation with Gaelic games growing up as “a non-aggressive way of being Irish”.

“It was our way of saying we are Irish, we’re proud to be Irish and this is how we are going to demonstrate our Irishness, playing our games,” he said.

He added: “[It was] a non-aggressive way of being Irish and promoting your identity… It kept a lot of us away from the IRA.”

Mr Burns stated: “[The GAA] always just ignored the partition, that’s how we dealt with it.”

The Silverbridge man also emphasised that although he always dreamed of a united Ireland, he wasn’t “going to try to be involved in any coercion attempt”.

The GAA president expressed his personal viewpoint on the Orange Order as an organisation - stating why he has a “complete obsession” with it.

“I have a complete obsession with the Orange Order because they are also a community-based organisation,” he said.

“They tap into the same love of community that the GAA does.”